When I heard that Behemoth was planning a tour in which they were going to play The Satanist top to bottom, I knew I had to go. I absolutely love that album, and Behemoth has yet to disappoint at a live gig. (Seriously. They have one of the best stage shows ever.) The fact that this was happening on Walpurgisnacht was, well, an added bonus. Who would pass that up?

Anyhow, I had somehow managed to forget that Myrkur was opening until a couple of days before the show. I reviewed her EP over at Burning Fist when it first came out and was really impressed with it, and just as equally dismayed by the sheer amount of hate that she got. The full-length album, M, was far less interesting to me (I never ended up getting it and I don’t really feel an aching need to), and I kind of lost track of her beyond vaguely jumping into conversations on the internet on occasion to slap people on wrist for being douchy. (Seriously. There are legitimate reasons why people are upset over Myrkur, and I understand those. But there are a lot of meatheads out there who think girls have no place in metal, and those people… can fuck off and die. But this is a concert review and that is a post for another day.)

Myrkur

Myrkur’s live performance went, for me, much like the records did. I really liked the stuff she did from the EP, and the rest I thought was a little repetitive. However, I was really impressed to see her play keyboards and guitar both, and I was glad that she got such a positive reception from the crowd. A friend of mine mentioned that parts of her set sounded a lot like doom, and I found myself agreeing with that assessment. She ended the set with a cover of Bathory’s “Song to Hall Up High,” though, and I, uh, may have gotten something in my eye…

I was happy that she played some instruments herself

Then, after a fairly lengthy pause, Behemoth took the stage. Behemoth is consistently good as a live act, but tonight they pulled out ALL the stops. In terms of just the stage show, Behemoth hauled out video screens for this one and showed video clips throughout the set, including the super creepy video for “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel.” (If they have done this in previous times that I have seen them, I don’t recall it.) Nergal also carried out one of those swingy-ball-o-incense-thingies that they use at Mass at one point (shut up; I’m not Catholic, I don’t know what it’s called). There was also a mock Communion, and the fans in the front of the stage got to eat up a bunch of Communion crackers. Also, Orion spit blood all over a crucifix he was holding upside down at the end of “Amen.” It was more live blasphemy than you could shake a stick at, along with a mosh pit that was positively churning the entire time.

Fire: Never not a great idea

Swingy-ball-‘o’-incense-thingy

Of course, Behemoth played The Satanist all the way through, ending with “O Father, O Satan, O Sun” and coming out for the last part with the horns on like they do. (So cool.) They played a handful of other songs afterwards, however, including “At the Left Hand ov God,” “Slaves Shall Serve,” “Antichristian Phenomenon,” and “Conquer All.” It was a fantastically fun show, and my doom metal buddy was even impressed despite Behemoth not being his typical thing.

Inferno destroying everything. Seriously. He is one of my favorite drummers

Happy Walpurgisnacht from Behemoth \m/

I actually did come away with some merch for this one. It had been a long time since I had a Behemoth shirt, and I couldn’t turn down this one with the Virgin Mary on it. It also occurred to me that I didn’t have a Behemoth patch for the jacket, which seemed wrong for someone who has now seen them four times, so I got one of those as well. I also picked up Myrkur’s EP; I had had a digital copy of it before from when I reviewed the album, but when my iPod corrupted in the fall and ate all my files I lost it.

The text on the patch that you can’t read very well says “The Satanist”

April has been absolutely nuts with shows just about twice a week, and now I feel like we’re about to hit a massive dry spell (there’s some really cool stuff coming up this summer, like Swans (!) and The Body, but it’s more spread out). However, Behemoth on Walpurgisnacht is a pretty good way to end a busy April, and very fortifying for the end of the semester that I’ll be fighting through the next couple of weeks.

I’ll be back next week; I’m almost done with Nergal’s biography, so I’m planning on writing on that, as well as the new Rotting Christ (I’m still on my first listen, but my rash impulse is to say this is even better than the last, which I loved), and I still need to write that post about why you all are so wrong about Reinkaos. (I’d put a winky emoji but I feel like that’s inappropriate.)

So about a month ago on Facebook I decided I would do an ABCs of black metal. It started out with me thinking I wanted to post Averse Sefira, and then it went from there. I figured I would document that here, in case anyone else was interested. I might do it for albums and songs too, someday. My goal was to pick bands that were not the obvious answer, and as a result I found some pretty cool stuff out there (I was not going to post Xasthur for X, for instance; I was determined to find something else, no matter how obscure). So here you go:

A is for Averse Sefira (US)

B is for Behexen (Finland- they have a new one out!)

C is for Craft (Sweden)

D is for Deathspell Omega (France- this might be the obvious choice for me, but it’s not Darkthrone)

[From the new EP]

E is for Enslaved (Norway)

[This one is also new]

F is for Funeral Mist (Sweden)

F is also for False (US)

[Minneapolis metal FTW]

G is for Gehenna (Norway)

H is for Hypothermia (Sweden)

I is for Inquisition (Colombia/US)

J is for Judas Iscariot (US)

K is for Krieg (US)

L is for Leviathan (US- I always forget Leviathan)

M is for Mgla (Poland)

[Also new. Gotta get this one. Wow]

N is for Nifelheim (Sweden)

O is for Ofermod (Sweden)

P is for Profanatica (US)

[The fun thing about Profanatica is trying to find a video without an image or title too offensive for Facebook]

Q is for Quintessence (France)

[This project was a lot of fun because it resulted in my discovery of great bands like Quintessence]

R is for Ragnarok (Norway)

S is for Samael (Switzerland)

[Love that video]

T is for Teitanblood (Spain)

U is for Urn (Finland)

V is for Velnias (US)

[Live in the woods]

W is for Winterfylleth (UK)

X is for Xerces (France)

Y is for Ye Goat-herd Gods (Canada- is that not the greatest name ever?)

Z is for The Zephyr (Mexico)

***

Well, that’s the list for that project. Like I said, I may do another one, and if I do I’ll post it here. Working on a post about French post-black/blackgaze metal for Thursday.

Weeeeelll, ladies and gentlemen, it’s my birthday. Which means that instead of an actual post, you shall get a gratuitous, “hey everyone this is what I like” post. So shortly following will be a playlist I strung together for my birthday.

First of all, though, I wanted to express my excitement over my birthday present. I was actually at WalMart (I normally avoid WalMart like the plague; I forgot that they sometimes have stuff) getting some universal remote controls when I stumbled upon this little gem. I had a gift card from forever ago which I’ve never used, because I don’t ever go to WalMart, and my mom paid for part of it for my birthday gift.

It’s a 5 in 1 music player, which is pretty much exactly what I needed. I wanted something I could play my CDs on that had bigger sound than a boom box (this has stereo sound), a tape player, and a turntable. And this has all of that! And a line in for an mp3 player. Awesome. It makes just enough noise for my small apartment, and it’s got good sound for the price. I’m really excited about it, because now I can start buying records. I have often longed to hear Emperor on vinyl; now maybe I can.

I also managed to track down a Funeral Mist shirt. It’s much too big for me to wear, but I plan on making art of it anyhow (although I am keeping an eye out for one in my size as well for the reason of actually being able to wear a Funeral Mist shirt).

So now, for the playlist! (It goes to 11, as all things metal should, and also because 11 is the biblical number for chaos and “symbolizes the potential to push the limitations of the human experience into the stratosphere of the highest spiritual perception; the link between the mortal and the immortal; between man and spirit; between darkness and light; ignorance and enlightenment.” (Numerology.com)

1. The Devil’s Blood- Voodoo Dust

The Devil’s Blood is one of my favorite bands right now. I recently saw them on the Decibel Tour and ye gods were they amazing. The Mouth of Satan (as she goes by) has an amazing voice.

2. Deathspell Omega- The Shrine of Mad Laughter

I just recently acquired my first DSO album, and it’s not this one. They are part of the same trilogy of albums, however, based on god, Satan, and man’s relationship to both. DSO is black metal taken to its (il?)logical conclusion, kind of like Abruptum. A structured cacophany. Fraaance.

3. Mayhem- Freezing Moon

This one is always on rotation, always. Mayhem knocked me off my feet the first time I heard them, and they, along with Funeral Mist, are probably by favorite metal band ever. This particular version my friend claims is the “best seven minutes in recorded black metal history.”

4. Agalloch- Faustian Echoes

Brand spanking new from Agalloch! Hot off the press! I get to see these guys in a couple of weeks and I’m stoked about it. I’m really digging this song right now, too, because I actually study Renaissance drama, and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus is my favorite play.

“Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed
In one self place, for where we are is hell,
And where hell is must we ever be.
And, to conclude, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that is not heaven.”

5. Marduk- World of Blades

I think everyone who reads this knows how I feel about Marduk, and if you want, you can read how I feel about their new album, too (in previous posts). My favorite album of the year so far. This track is one of my favorites (dat bass). (Also, stupid YouTube commentors are stupid.)

6. In Solitude- To Her Darkness

The first time I heard In Solitude I appreciated it because I appreciate metal, but I thought it really wasn’t my style. Since seeing them live I’ve become quite a fan. They are fantastic musicians for their age, and they are very nice as well. This is my favorite off their latest, and it is also their new video!

7. Morbid- From the Dark

Back in February I said something about how it was a good day for Morbid’s “Disgusting Semla,” and got the remark “when do you ever think it’s NOT a good day for Dead?” Which is a good point. I like his voice with Morbid even better than with Mayhem.

8. Immortal- Where Dark and Light Don’t Differ

Immortal is great. They were the first band I really got into in terms of heavy black metal, probably because they are so thrashy. I have always loved them and their approach to black metal, and this album is my favorite.

9. Azarath- Throne of Skulls

Azarath is one that I have just recently learned of. They do that blackened death metal thing that Poland is so good at, and Inferno from Behemoth is also their drummer. He is one of my favorite drummers, and I am very fortunate to have seen him live.

10. Funeral Mist- Anti-Flesh Nimbus

I have lost track of how many times I have heard this song, and it never, ever, ever gets old to me. It’s hideous and beautiful, terrifying and inspiring. In other words, everything I love about Funeral Mist in one nice little package.

11. Watain- The Waters of Ain

This song is for endings. I’d say it’s in my top three of favorite songs ever. It is Watain’s magnum opus, and it even features Selim from The Devil’s Blood. Even when they start touring for a new album cycle, I hope they still end with this one. I can’t believe I *almost* saw Watain two nights in a row! (Damned visa problems).

Well, that’s it. That’s the gratuitous birthday playlist of things I am currently obsessed with (or eleven of them, at any rate). Hopefully you will get some enjoyment out of some of my personal favorites.

**I am starting this section to showcase some of my personal favorites that either I have loved forever or just happened to pop up on my radar. I will try to pick more lesser known/underground bands for this section, as you all don’t need to read one more fangirl going on about how much she loves Mayhem, but I won’t promise that it will always be that way. Today’s post will feature a band that is very underrated in my book, however- blackened death demi-gods Hate.**

Back in November, I went to see Mayhem (and skipped about like a schoolgirl all night. Sheer glee). The whole line-up was a good one- Abigail Williams to start with, some people got to see a band called Woe who is really good (but didn’t play our dates; sad times), Hate, and Keep of Kalessin all opened. I was familiar with all the other bands, but I had no knowledge whatsoever about Hate. All I can say is WOW. They destroyed.

[Watch their bassist’s neck. Seriously. Just watch it. His head looks like it’s about to fall off. That is terrifying.]

It is flat out wrong and unfair that I did not know this band existed before November. They seem to be consistently overshadowed by behemoths like… well, like Behemoth. Speaking of those guys, Hate may remind you a bit of someone- the robes, the cheekbone-emphasizing corpsepaint, the blackened-death sound- but I promise you they did not steal Behemoth’s ideas. The two bands are actually exact contemporaries, both releasing their first demos in 1992, and methinks they have probably fed off of each other in their later compositions. The fun thing is, they started completely differently.

[Early Behemoth is black metal!]

[Wait. What’s that? That’s right, early Hate is straight up DEATH metal!]

Eventually they both did the blackened death thing, combining the two genres in the way that only those Polish guys can (Vader was doing it long before either of them got the idea, however). The difference? Well, Behemoth made it big. Hate… didn’t make it on such a grand scale. And that’s just stupid. Because listen to this!

[Dude. That’s some good stuff, no?]

They are equally amazing live. That bass player was so much fun to watch, and they are tight on stage. They were by far the most captivating of the openers. Highly entertaining. Sorry Keep of Kalessin, but I think they should have been the last opener, because they dominated. A lovely and pleasant surprise.

[The new stuff]

Their latest album is called Erebos, and it came out in 2010. From what I can tell on their website, it does not look like they have plans for a new album soon, but there is plenty more where all this has come from- like most extreme metal bands, Hate is prolific.

[The term “blackened death metal” always reminds me of blackened chicken, which is every bit as yummy as those riffs.]

So what are you waiting for? There’s a big ol’ list of Hate’s albums out there for you to check out (seven full lengths, a couple of compilations, an EP, a live DVD [that I clearly need a copy of] and three demos if you can find them). It looks like Hell’s Headbangers has a couple of their albums, and Century Media’s distro has several as well. Or better yet, buy them from the band’s website, where they have their own merch store (www.hate-metal.com). They also have several albums on Spotify. Despite the claims of the uninitiated that they sound just like Behemoth, a short listen will make it clear, I think, that Hate is not derivative of Behemoth and can hold their own in the Polish blackened-death circuit (in fact, I think they are actually better and more diverse than Behemoth *coughhackcough*). Either way, give them a spin in your free time because you won’t regret it. Also keep an eye out for when they come to your area on tour- I am not kidding, Hate is one of the best openers I have ever seen, and I am jealous of people who have seen them play a full set.

[So good live]

Hopefully you enjoy today’s installment (and hopefully I earned some more fans for this awesome, under-appreciated band). Keep watching, because I plan to update this puppy a couple of times a week now that it’s summer (Sundays and Thursdays, is what I’m aiming for). More to come soon.